Sample sacking funnel

ABSTRACT

A funnel hinged at the top and spring biased against a support to frictionally support a sack to be filled mounted about its lower end between the side of the funnel and the support.

United States Patent 91 Huff Nov. 13, 1973 SAMPLE SACKING FUNNEL 1,633,343 6/1927 Miller 141 340 Inventor: Kenneth 0 Huff, 5 ownsend 2,757,841 8/1956 Chapman 141/316 B1dg., Casper, Wyo. 8260i [22] Filed: Mar. 3, 1971 Primary Examiner-Houston S. Bell, Jr. [211 App]. No2 120,456 Attorney-Sol B. Wiczer [52] U.S. Cl. 141/314, 141/340 [51] Int. Cl. B65b l/06, B65b 3/06, B670 11/00 [58] Field of Search 141/10, 67, 68, 76, [57] ABSTRACT l4l/77, 98, 100-106, 151', 247, 250, v 3314345 3 4 3 5 3 9 372 77 392 4 A funnel hinged at the top and spring biased against a 313-317; 5 3 39 391; 243 94 support to frictionally support a sack to be filled mounted about its lower end between the side of the [56] References Cited funnel and the pp UNITED STATES PATENTS 992,886 5/1911 Laval 141/340 8 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures- 2a\ 1% 27 so P 5a 29 7 H2 32 l i l 1 I t i. 34 46 IL 1. I a U A52 /9-' /6 -45 /8vv Patented Nov. 13, 1973 /N VEN TOR. KENNETH C2 HUFF AT R/VEY SAMPLE SACKING FUNNEL This invention relates to a funnel useful to fill sacks or bags of particles, pellets, granules or powder and particularly is directed to a funnel having support means cooperative with the funnel body to support or frictionally retain a sack, bag or the like open container about the lower end of the funnel while it is being loaded.

The funnel of the present invention is typically useful for mounting beside a trough or screen upon which solids are deposited in a pile, and which, as flowable solids, may be scooped up or shoveled into the top of the funnel.

The funnel mounted at the end of or within a filling trough has a supporting post or vertical leg to which the funnel itself may be hingedly fastened, as by a hinge, which supports the funnel near its upper rim portion. In that type of support, the funnel tends to gravitationally press its adjacent wall against such supporting body. It is possible to mount an open mouthed sack around the lower open end of the funnel, which becomes frictionally gripped by the gravitational weight of the funnel. However, it is desirable to have the sack more firmly gripped about the lower end of the funnel, and, for this purpose, a resilient spring is mounted in compression against a biasing lever attached to the top of the funnel. The spring mounted between the supporting body and lever exerts substantial pressure to bias the funnel side against the supporting post, whereby a sack to be filled, mounted with its open mouth about the open end of the funnel, becomes firmly gripped between the funnel support and the post. The spring-biased lever mounted against the spring maintains the sack while being filled and then, upon depression of the'lever compressing spring inward, the funnel is moved on its upper hinge away from the supporting post to release the sack for removal of the filled sack, or reemplacement of another about the funnel bottom for filling. When the depressing lever is released, the funnel then again remains resiliently biased to press the bag end against the supporting post to maintain its frictional grip for filling of the bag without displacement from the funnel by its solid particle contents.

The invention is further described in relationship to the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevation of the funnel and filling bag secured thereto mounted upon a securing post;

FIG. 2 is an end view of the assembly of FIG. 1 taken in the direction of the arrow 2 in FIG. 1; and 1 FIG. 3 is a top plan view of FIG. 1 with the collar removed.

As shown in the drawings, a funnel is illustrated here as a right regular conical body mounted with its wide end open at the top 12 and having a tapering conical wall 14 truncated to form a smaller opening 16 at the bottom. The funnel is hingedly mounted to a supporting bar 18 which, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, may be merely a channel iron supported by bolts 20 to a supply bin 22 containing solids to be filled into a sack.

The supply bin 22 may itself be replaced by any source of bulk storage or supply of flowable solids of any size to be filled into sacks. For instance, as shown in FIG. 1, the supply bin 22 may have a screen bottom 24 so that the solids are classified to a selected particle size, the finest being removed by the sifting, and the accumulated larger particles may be scooped up and loaded into the top of funnel 10 for emplacement in the sacks.

The funnel 10 is supported at a point near its upper edge 12 by a bracket plate 28 which may be fastened as by welding at 27 to the top 12 of funnel 10. The plate 28 continues into and is welded to an angularly depending arm 34. A pair of supporting cars 30 are fastened beneath the plate 28 to form a pivot. A pivot pin 32 extends through opposite side walls 19 and 21 of channel support 18, and pivotally supports the ears 30 thereon for pivotal movement of the plate 28 as well as the funnel 10 and arm 34 secured thereto. The pressing bar 34 secured by welding at its upper end 29 affords manual movement of the bar 34, plate 28 and funnel 10, causing the funnel to pivotally swing with manual movement of the bar 34. I

A spring 46 is mounted in compression between the web 23 of channel 18, and the pressing arm 34, biasing the arm angularly outward of the support 18 as shown, the arm 34 thus resiliently holding and pressing the ta- I pered funnel surface 14 against the outer channel iron web surface 23. In this position the funnel is pivotally supported upon the post 18 in the full line position shown in FIG. 1. When the pressure bar 34 is depressed to the dotted line position, the funnel 10 becomes pivotally moved away from the web 23 of post 18 to its dotted line position.

A bag or sack 48 can be emplaced around the open end 16 of the funnel and becomes frictionally gripped between the funnel wall 14 and the channel web 23 when the pressure bar 34 is released, and the funnel 10 returns to its full line position of FIG. 1. The funnel is resiliently held there both under tension of the spring 46 and its gravitational weight. The bag 48 will be thus supported frictionally while the solids are. scooped into the funnel and thence into the bag. When the bag has been filled, the depression of the lever 34 moves the funnel pivotally away from the post 18, releasing the filled bag for easy removal. In that position the bag is then replaced with an empty bag and is then allowed to return to the full line position by expansion of the spring 46.

It is useful to mount a resilient guide arm 50 diametrically across the open bottom 16 of the funnel to depend as a loop therebeneath, and which serves to expand the bag against its folds or creases to open its mouth sufficient to be easily mounted about the lower end of the funnel. For this purpose the resilient bracket 50 is fastened only at one end 52 to a point near the bottom wall 10 of the funnel. The other end 54 of the bracket loop is left resiliently free for resilient expansive movement to aid both in the opening of a bag and its removal from the funnel bottom. The spring end 54 further may be positioned resiliently to press against the web 23 of the post 18 and bears frictionally against the wall of the sack 48 for further gripping of the sack in the loading position against the supporting post web 23.

For further protection of the funnel which may be of thin metal against being bent or damaged by constant contact with a metallic filling shovel or scoop, a protective collar 58 is mounted about the upper edge 12 of the funnel, usually formed of plastic or rubber. That collar 58 may be shaped as an annular tire having a groove cut into one surface into which the top 12 of the funnel may be frictionally inserted in sufficiently tight frictional grip for adequately secure support thereon.

Certain modifications will occur to those skilled in the art and, accordingly, it is intended that the description given herein be regarded as exemplary and not limiting except as defined in the claims appended hereto.

What is claimed is:

l. A bag-filling device comprising a funnel useful for filling open containers such as sacks or the like, having a casing tapering from a large inlet to a smaller outlet, vertical support means having a vertically extending leg hingedly supporting said funnel from a point near its upper edge whereby a tapered funnel casing side lies vertically adjacent to said leg to frictionally grip said container with its open end disposed for filling about the open end of said funnel between the funnel casing side and said leg, said frictional grip being provided at least in part by the gravitational weight of said funnel bearing against said leg, and means for pivotally moving said funnel on its hinge away from said support leg to release frictional support of said container.

2. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the funnel body is conical, tapering from a small open end to a large open top, whereby a conically tapering side lies along said vertical support for frictionally gripping said sack therebetween.

3. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally moving said funnel comprises a lever angularly depending from the funnel top along the opposite side of said support.

4. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 3 wherein a spring is mounted in compression between said support and angular lever resiliently biasing said lever outward and funnel side against said stop to firmly grip a sack mounted about the funnel end between the funnel side and said vertical support.

5. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper edge of the funnel has a protective plastic collar fastened thereon.

6. A bag filling device comprising a funnel having an annular body having a large opening at the upper end tapering to a smaller opening at its lower end about which the open mouth of a sack or like container is placed for filling, a vertical support means, an arm rigidly fastened to a point near the upper end of said funnel body and depending angularly downward therefrom, the upper end of said vertical support being disposed in the angle of said arm having its upper end pivotally fastened thereto, whereby said funnel body is pivotally suspended on said support to lie with one tapering side adjacent to said vertical support means, and spring means disposed between said vertical support means and angular arm biasing said arm outward of said support and said funnel body against said support whereby to resiliently press and frictionally retain the top of the sack to be filled therebetween.

7. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 including a resilient, approximately U-shaped, loop having one end of the loop fastened to the lower end of said funnel with the body of said loop extending diametrically across the open outlet.

8. A bag-filling device comprising a funnel, useful for filling open containers, having an annular casing open at the top and bottom for passing flowable substances into an open container mounted about said open funnel bottom, vertical support means hingedly supporting said funnel from a point near its upper edge whereby an annular side of said casing lies vertically adjacent to said support means and bears at least by its gravitational weight against said support means to frictionally grip a side of said open container between the funnel wall and said support, and means for pivotally moving said funnel on its hinge away from said support to release said frictional support of said container. 

1. A bag-filling device comprising a funnel useful for filling open containers such as sacks or the like, having a casing tapering from a large inlet to a smaller outlet, vertical support means having a vertically extending leg hingedly supporting said funnel from a point near its upper edge whereby a tapered funnel casing side lies vertically adjacent to said leg to frictionally grip said container with its open end disposed for filling about the open end of said funnel between the funnel casing side and said leg, said frictional grip being provided at least in part by the gravitational weight of said funnel bearing against said leg, and means for pivotally moving said funnel on its hinge away from said support leg to release frictional support of said container.
 2. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the funnel body is conical, tapering from a small open end to a large open top, whereby a conically tapering side lies along said vertical support for frictionally gripping said sack therebetween.
 3. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the means for pivotally moving said funnel comprises a lever angularly depending from the funnel top along the opposite side of said support.
 4. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 3 wherein a spring is mounted in compression between said support and angular lever resiliently biasing said lever outward and funnel side against said stop to firmly grip a sack mounted about the funnel end between the funnel side and said vertical support.
 5. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 wherein the upper edge of the funnel has a protective plastic collar fastened thereon.
 6. A bag filling device comprising a funnel having an annular body having a large opening at the upper end tapering to a smaller opening at its lower end about which the open mouth of a sack or like container is placed for filling, a vertical support means, an arm rigidly fastened to a point near the upper end of said funnel body and depending angularly downward therefrom, the upper end of said vertical support being disposed in the angle of said arm having its upper end pivotally fastened thereto, whereby said funnel body is pivotally suspended on said support to lie with one tapering side adjacent to said vertical support means, and spring means disposed between said vertical support means and angular arm biasing said arm outward of said support and said funnel body against said support whereby to resiliently press and frictionally retain the top of the sack to be filled therebetween.
 7. The bag-filling device as defined in claim 1 including a resilient, approximately U-shaped, loop having one end of the loop fastened to the lower end of said funnel with the body of said loop extending diametrically across the open outlet.
 8. A bag-filling device comprising a funnel, useful for filling open containers, having an annular casing open at the top and bottom for passing flowable substances into an open container mounted about said open funnel bottom, vertical support means hingedly supporting said funnel from a point near its upper edge whereby an annular side of said casing lies vertically adjacent to said support means and bears at least by its gravitational weight against said support means to frictionally grip a side of said open container between the funnel wall and said support, and means for pivotally moving said funnel on its hinge away from said support to release said frictional support of said container. 